Gordhan crisis hangs over funeral
Speakers at Ahmed Kathrada’s funeral emphasise the struggle activist’s ability to tactfully ‘speak truth to power‘
In a rousing send-off for struggle activist Ahmed Kathrada on Wednesday, political heavyweights gave the strongest signals yet that a decision by President Jacob Zuma to remove Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan would result in as-yet-unseen levels of public criticism over the direction of the ANC. Both Gordhan and former president Kgalema Motlanthe on Wednesday received standing ovations from hundreds of mourners. Motlanthe quoted from a public letter from Kathrada to Zuma, written in 2016, in which the late anti-apartheid icon called on the president to resign, receiving vehement applause. Most of the speakers emphasised Kathrada’s ability to tactfully "speak truth to power". Kathrada was laid to rest in a ceremony that hung heavy with the political implications of a now widely expected Cabinet reshuffle. "It would be disingenuous to pay tribute to Kathrada today and pretend that he was not deeply disturbed by the current postapartheid failure of politics," Motlanthe said. "Comrade K...
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